Young Cougs Face Usc, Ucla
College volleyball notebook
The Washington State Cougars volleyball team has jumped out of the blocks to start the season at 6-0 and garnered a No. 16 ranking in this week’s American Volleyball Coaches Association poll as a reward.
With 12 of 14 players on the roster either freshman or sophomores, the young squad has apparently decided that the future is now. So far they’ve competed like a bunch of upperclassmen and haven’t backed down from anybody.
The Cougars registered their first four wins at home (one of which was against then-No. 13 Brigham Young during the Cougar Challenge) before going on the road to defeat Santa Clara and Wyoming.
Friday, WSU hosts No. 12 Southern California (3-1) and No. 4 UCLA (4-1) Saturday. Both contests will start at 7 p.m. at Bohler Gym.
WSU coach Cindy Fredrick said she is not surprised by her team’s fast start.
“Even though this is a young team, it is a team that has a lot of experience.”
Junior Sarah Silvernail has already won one Pac-10 Player of the Week honor, however, according to Frederick, the thing she likes the most about her team is its balance.
According to Fredrick, sophomore middle blocker Jenny Herndon is playing with a lot more confidence and is hitting and blocking a lot better than she did in ‘94.
Sophomore outside hitter Elis Arias continues to pound the ball from her position, but unlike last season, Arias has become more of a complete player due to her improved passing.
Fredrick also has a dangerous weapon in 6-foot sophomore setter Stephanie Papke. Most setters (the volleyball version of football’s quarterback) aren’t that tall. Papke’s height gives WSU an added dimension at that position.
“She was a hitter in high school and I don’t think she was recruited by anybody other than us. She sat out the last two years and has made tremendous strides at her new position. And because she is tall, we can put her on the front line and use her to block.”
In WSU’s 15-6, 15-4, 16-18, 15-9 win against Wyoming on Saturday, Papke posted 56 assists.
As for this weekend, the Southern California powerhouses will serve as a good measuring stick for the ‘95 Cougars. WSU has beaten USC at home three of the last four years, but in its history, WSU has never beaten UCLA.
The Southern Cal match will mark the return of Lewis and Clark grad Kirsti Olson, who is a junior.
GU faces tough tests
Eight of Gonzaga’s next nine matches are against the kind of opponents that keep coaches up late at night and in turn leave them drooling zombies in the early morning.
The schedule doesn’t lend itself to improving on a 2-7 record which is what the Bulldogs have. If head coach Sean Madden gets any sleep any time soon, he ought to count his blessings.
Friday, the Bulldogs face topranked Nebraska in the University of Wyoming Invitational at Laramie, Wyo., before taking on the host Cowboys, who received votes in this week’s AVCA poll, on Saturday. Also on Saturday, the Bulldogs will play No. 24 Georgia.
The weekend road-trip concludes Sunday with GU heading to Boulder, Colo., to face No. 15 Colorado. Tuesday, GU heads to Moscow to face Idaho, which received 10 votes in this week’s AVCA poll, before returning home to face Idaho State. Idaho will then come to the Martin Centre for a match on Sept. 26.
West Coast Conference action begins Sept. 29 and 30 for GU at home against Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, two teams who also received votes in this week’s AVCA poll.
Hopefully, Gonzaga will have something left at the end of the month.
Vandal Tourney
Idaho opens its Safeco/Branegan’s Classic against unbeaten Oral Roberts (8-0) at 7:30 on Friday night at Memorial Gym.
The round-robin tourney continues Saturday with UI facing Southeast Missouri State at noon and Cal State-Northridge at 7:30 p.m.
, DataTimes